Bukayo Saka is one of Mikel Arteta’s main men, but that doesn’t stop the winger from facing the wrath of the Arsenal boss when he doesn’t do the right things.
The Gunners welcomed Paris Saint-Germain to the Emirates on Tuesday night for their second game in this season’s Champions League.
Kai Havertz gave Mikel Arteta’s side the lead after 20 minutes before Saka got himself a goal when his free-kick went through everyone and found the back of the net.
It was a comfortable win from that point for Arsenal, but Arteta wasn’t pleased with one incident before half-time even though his side were in control of the game.
Mikel Arteta gave Bukayo Saka ‘stern feedback’ after mistake during Arsenal vs PSG
Arsenal couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable first half against PSG on Tuesday night.
The Gunners limited the French giants to almost nothing and picked up a two-goal lead without too much effort. The game transpired exactly how Arteta wanted it to.
However, the Arsenal boss does not let anyone rest at any point in the game – he always demands perfection and Saka learnt that again on Tuesday.
Just before the end of the first half, PSG counter-attacked Arsenal from the left side of their pitch and drove into the final third.
It’s never easy to do that against the North Londoners because they are so good defensively, but one player wasn’t where he was supposed to be – Saka.
As you can imagine, Arteta was not happy with the Arsenal number seven, and he made his feelings clear to him from the touchline.
Football London reveal: “Just before the break after a good Arsenal move was broken down, PSG countered down the left side and Achraf Hakimi was able to sprint through the left Paris channel.
“A space that perhaps should have been occupied by Saka but he had not done enough to his manager’s liking; even from back in the stands 50 metres away, the Spaniard could be heard giving his captain some stern feedback.”
The one mistake Arteta keeps repeating with Saka
Saka is arguably Arsenal’s best player, and he is among the first names on the team sheet every single game.
The Englishman has had a great start to the season again, and even though he wasn’t at his absolute best against PSG, he still scored and made the hugely talented Nuno Mendes look average.
We love watching Saka, but the one concern we have with Arteta is that the Arsenal boss continues to refuse to give him a break.
With Arsenal leading 2-0 at the hour-mark, Arteta could’ve easily brought Saka off and replaced him with Raheem Sterling or Ethan Nwaneri, but he didn’t.
The Arsenal number seven played almost the entire game, which is not ideal at all. When there is an opportunity to give him a break, Arteta should take it. Not doing that is a mistake and could backfire one day.
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